Scarlett Johansson Faces Backlash For Claiming To Be Able to Play "Any Person, Or Any Tree, Or Any Animal"

Scarlett Johansson is under fire for comments she made stating that an actor should be “allowed to play any person” in response to her termination from an upcoming film, Rub and Tub, in which she was slated to play a transmasculine man.

In an interview with As If magazine, Johansson said, “You know, as an actor I should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal because that is my job and the requirements of my job…I think society would be more connected if we just allowed others to have their own feelings and not expect everyone to feel the way we do.”

Johansson has dealt with similar controversy before. For example, in 2016, Johansson played the lead in a film based on a Japanese Manga, Ghost in the Shell, which many felt was a form of “whitewashing.”

Johansson, speaking to Variety, defended her comments, saying that they were “edited for click bait” and “widely taken out of context.”

She added that, “I recognize that in reality, there is a wide spread discrepancy amongst my industry that favors Caucasian, cis gendered actors and that not every actor has been given the same opportunities that I have been privileged to. I continue to support, and always have, diversity in every industry and will continue to fight for projects where everyone is included.”

Users on Twitter had fun with the incident, though, finding Johansson in a number of unexpected places.

https://twitter.com/pctterdiaries/status/1150381132585869312?s=20

I’ve been on edge for two days. How can I walk outside without fear knowing that any one of these trees could really be Scarlett Johansson
— Alpha Male (real) (@SortaBad) July 15, 2019